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CHAPTER XXIV

EDUCATIONAL-SCHOOLS OF HAMPTON AND THEIR ADVANTAGESFIRST SCHOOL TAUGHT AND THE SCHOOLHOUSES-PRESENT SCHOOL BUILDINGS—DISTRICT SCHOOLS AND THEIR PROGRESS.

In the winter of 1856-7, S. H. Van Kirk, a man of education and refinement, taught the first school in Hampton, in a small building which stood on the corner of Reeve and Second streets. The few pupils were given instructions for about three months, their parents having subscribed a certain amount of money for that length of time. Mr. Van Kirk became well known throughout the community and for several years served the county as its official surveyor. The improvised school building later went into commission as the Whitney House, a hostelry well patronized in the early days.

The first schoolhouse erected at the county seat was ready for occupancy in the spring of 1857. The building was not much more than a shanty and cost a little over one hundred dollars. There were no desks. The absence of- all the conveniences known to the present generation was one of its salient features. An old drum stove, stuffed with knots of wood, in a measure gave to the diminutive room cheer and comfort, but the lack of comfortable seats, sufficient light, blackboards and the like was not conducive to comfort and general satisfaction. However, the children acquired the rudiments of an education and were fitted for better things that were coming their way. A young lady, Clara Wyatt, still in her teens, taught this primitive school.

The second schoolhouse was built in 1858 and paid for out of public funds. It was a small frame affair, built on Third street, and it is the prevailing impression that the frame of this building became a part of the residence of B. F. Kline, which still stands on Fourth street, one block west of the high school. At any rate, the old structure stood on the site of the Kline residence.

In 1865 Hampton had outgrown the old schoolhouse and a grout (concrete and stone) building, two stories in height, containing

four rooms, was erected on the ground now occupied by Gray's and the Robinson buildings on Reeve street. It was thought at the time that Hampton would never be large enough to fill the four rooms with pupils; therefore, the south half of the schoolhouse was rented —the lower room to the county and the upper room to the Masonic lodge. However, long before another building was erected it became necessary to rent extra rooms for school purposes.

In 1876, a splendid tract of land was purchased by the city near the foot of East Fourth street, on the southwest corner of which a three-story brick building was erected at a cost of about $20,000. The lower four rooms in the building were not intended to be occupied by pupils, but it was only a few years until it became necessary to finish them and use this space for school purposes, although they were never comfortable or convenient on account of the large furnaces that were in them. To relieve the pressure on the accommodations of this building, a schoolhouse was erected on the west side in 1883, which now is filled to its full capacity.

The east side building, in September, 1892, was repaired and with apparatus installed brought the cost of the property up to about $25,000, all of which was lost by fire, the building being practically destroyed February 15, 1893. Fortunately, the sum of $16,200 insurance placed on the building and fixtures was recovered and formed a substantial nucleus for a new structure.

The present school building which took the place of the burned structure was dedicated Friday, January 19, 1894. Work on its construction commenced in the fall of 1893. The contract price was $27,000. It is a brick edifice consisting of two stories and a basement, the latter being four feet below the surface and six feet above. The lower story has a thirteen-foot ceiling and the upper is sixteen feet in height. There are three large rooms in the basement, six on the first floor above the street and four beside the high-school room on the upper floor. The ground dimensions are 881⁄2 feet, fronting on Fourth street, and 103 feet in depth. The heighth is 42 feet from the ground to the cornice, and the tower 110 feet. On the two street sides the material is of brown pressed birck with stone trimmings. When finished the total cost of this splendid building amounted to $32,000. This includes fixtures.

And now in this year of grace, 1913, the school authorities are facing another problem similar to those which have been met by their predecessors. Although Hampton has not very appreciably grown in

population, it seems the number of school children and modern plans adopted for their advancement in rudimentary lines of education and advanced ideas, apparently have made it necessary to increase the space and facilities for carrying on the school work in a manner commensurate with the present scientific methods of instruction. The extension course of study in the high school and the addition of new subjects in the curriculum have necessitated more room and special equipment. The high school is much more complex than formerly and in order to be modern and progressive it is necessary, so it appears, to make more room and acquire more equipment to meet these changing conditions. To further this end, an election was held on January 2, 1914, for the purpose of voting on the proposition and issuing bonds in a sum not to exceed $60,000 for the purpose of constructing and equipping a new high-school building. A further sum of $7,500 to be issued in bonds was before the voters for acceptance or rejection, to be used in rebuilding and equipping the east side school building, and $2,500 for the purpose of rebuilding and equipping the west side schoolhouse. The proposition was carried by the following votes: For issuing bonds in the sum of $60,000 for new highschool building, 359; 140 against; for issuing bonds in the sum of $7,500 for the purpose of rebuilding and equipping east side schoolhouse, 383; 99 against; for issuing bonds in the sum of $2,500 for the purpose of rebuilding and equipping the west side schoolhouse, 392; 87 against the proposition.

As will be seen all three propositions carried. This was the first election held here in which women voted and, although the weather was stormy, 171 of them went to the polls and cast their ballots, 151 favoring the issuance of bonds and 20 voting against their issuance.

The approximate enrollment in the Hampton schools is six hundred pupils. About one hundred and forty of these are students in the high school, the remainder being enrolled in the various grades and the kindergarten. The kindergarten is at present held in the basement of the public library building, the work being conducted by one teacher and an assistant. In the west side building there are five grades maintained and as they are much smaller here, three teachers only are necessary for the work. In the east side building there is a separate teacher for each grade from the first grade to the eighth, inclusive. These grades will average forty or more pupils. The first and second grades occupy rooms in the basement of the building, the remaining grades

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